In a number of semiconductor assembly and post-assembly operations it is necessary to process singulated electronic components, such as MDIP, CDIP, and PLCC components. For example, it is often necessary to remove an existing mark on the surface of each component.
Abrasive mark removal processes are widely employed in the semiconductor industry. However, conventional processes of this type typically leave large amounts of residue (i.e., plastic or ceramic particles from the packages undergoing treatment, or particles of the abrasive medium) on the top and bottom surface of each package, on the leads of the packaged components. It is necessary to clean (wash and dry) the processed packages before new, high quality marks can be placed on them.
However, until the present invention, it had not been known how to design and operate a material handling system capable of transporting single packaged electronic components during such cleaning operations, without jamming or mechanical damage, and in a such a manner that both the top and bottom surfaces of the components are simultaneously exposed to the cleaning and drying media. In the prior art, packaged electronic components were typically cleaned (washed and dried) manually in batch loads (usually in baskets), which frequently resulted in damage to the components being cleaned.